OPERATIONAL
EXCELLENCE
Judge: Josh Bersin
“These
programs are fantastic examples of what we mean by
‘high-impact learning,’” says Bersin. “Each winner
developed a program to address a significant
operational issue. The programs were based on
comprehensive analyses of the associated business
problems and specific learner needs. All were
accompanied with strong change management, high
levels of innovation and business- based metrics.
And finally, all programs achieved demonstrable
business results.”
Rockwell Collins:
The Life Cycle Value Stream Program is a complex
initiative designed to instill core company values
and teach the company’s business model and key
practices to audiences throughout the corporation.
This is an excellent example of using learning to
strengthen the company culture, foster competitive
advantages and increase customer value. Few
companies of this size (20,000 employees) have the
discipline, commitment and executive support to
tackle such a program.
Wachovia:
Its new-hire program for tellers is a 28-hour
interactive course that covers all aspects of a
teller’s job. Its main objectives are to ensure
proper job fit, reduce turnover, increase speed to
competency and maintain excellent customer service.
The learning objectives are clear, the feedback is
meaningful and direct, the simulations are realistic
and engaging. In pilots, turnover within the first
90 days was 3.6 percent lower, accompanied by a
significant increase in sales credits and reduction
in policy violations.
SAP:
This company has software developers in six
different countries. It developed a six-part
curriculum on managing virtual project teams to help
project leaders learn how to effectively manage such
cross-cultural teams. To appeal to software
developers and minimize cultural sensitivities, the
curriculum uses an overarching narrative about the
imaginary planet Orth, which has challenges similar
to those on Earth. The company calculated that the
program added approximately $2 million in value.
Extra Space Storage:
Designed to teach sales representatives how to sell
renter protection insurance, the Customer Protection
Plan sales program is an excellent example of how
learning can directly impact business. This simple,
low-cost, blended program drove insurance revenue up
140 percent.Weekly e-mail updates, training at sales
meetings, well-executed marketing, public
recognition of top performers and a continual focus
on the key program metrics contributed to its
success.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT EXCELLENCE
Judge: Kim Lamoureux
“Both category winners exemplify the six best
practices found by our research to have significant
business impact,” says Lamoureux. “These include
engagement of senior executives, the identification
of specific leadership competencies, targeting
multiple levels of leadership and aligning
initiatives to business challenges and strategy.”
Trinity Health:
The fourth largest Catholic health system in the
United States employs more than 44,000. Its
Leadership Series was developed to help bring two
organizational cultures together after a merger and
to build a strong leadership pipeline. Courses run
from 8 to 24 months and include participants from
all disciplines in order to encourage
cross-organizational networking. Learning action
plans are tied to business challenges, such as
reducing missed dosages and protecting blood
cultures from contamination.
Business Development Bank of Canada:
In 2003, about 50 percent of new first-level
managers at this company had been working for less
than three years in the organization. Its
Transitional Leadership Program targets promising
employees who want to move into a first-level
management position within the next two years.
Participants make a year-long commitment to the
program.
TECHNOLOGY
EXCELLENCE
Judge: Chris Howard
“This
year’s winner offers the industry a best-practice
blueprint for LMS consolidation,” says Howard. “The
project was based on a detailed business analysis
and relied on a strong partnership with IT. In
addition to saving money, the project transformed
learning at CA and simplified the work life of every
employee.”
CA, Inc.:
CA’s implementation of an enterprise-wide LMS, which
replaced nine different legacy systems, is an
example of how to do a complex implementation right.
Now in use by all 17,000 employees, the solution
will be rolled out to customers next year.
Integrated with the LMS are technologies for
collaboration “rooms,” podcasting, virtual labs and
classrooms. Financial analyses project a reduction
in capital expenses of 57 percent by next year, plus
a 57 percent reduction in cost per learner.
LEARNING INITIATIVE EXCELLENCE
Judge: Kim Lamoureux
“These winners — all technology companies — used
learning to solve specific business issues,” says
Lamoureux. “Their goals were well-defined and their
metrics business-focused. Interestingly, all
initiatives were related to improving customer
service and were driven by high-profile, empowered
teams formed expressly to solve the challenges.”
SumTotal Systems:Within
the last year, SumTotal Systems launched two major
initiatives, Total Immersion and Total Satisfaction,
both of which drove noteworthy business results,
including reduced time to competency for new
technical and service employees, improved employee
retention and increased customer satisfaction. The
programs were conceived and developed by a new
Talent Management Group, empowered by senior
executives to cut through organizational obstacles
and to address the underlying factors of customer
satisfaction.
Hewlett-Packard Software:
This technology giant revamped technical training
for internal employees, partners and customers. A
new organization, Global Technology Enablement,
drove and managed the change, which included a
global LMS implementation and the creation of HP
Software University. A sophisticated content model
leverages SMEs and content for multiple learning
audiences to rapidly deliver new product training to
key audiences. Two of many impressive business
results: training volume has increased by almost 400
percent and average time-to-market for training is
now 28 days, down from 120.
CA, Inc.:
CA’s Security Training Program targets all employees
involved in sales, support and services for the
company’s complex IT security products. The program,
which was implemented in 10 weeks, covers
positioning, demonstrating, selling, implementing,
integrating and troubleshooting. Business impact was
immediate. Product sales rose 12 percent, service
revenues increased about 25 percent, and problem
escalations dropped by 19 percent.
ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE
Judge: Leighanne Levensaler
“While these winners are quite different, they both
demonstrate strong best practices,” says Levensaler.
“For instance, Citibank prioritizes its programs
according to business needs and uses a consistent
and business-focused approach to measurement. The
NSTA’s content strategy and standards ensures
scalability and reusability, and its governance
ensures representation and alignment.”
Citibank Asia Pacific Consumer Bank:
Citibank APCB’s regional learning and development
system is organized into eight learning academies,
each designed to support specific functional areas,
such as retail banking, direct sales and customer
service. Each academy has its own mission,
priorities and curriculum in order to maintain a
tight business alignment. The business focus has
paid off.Within the last year, Citibank Indonesia
moved from seventh to first place in a major
customer service survey and Citibank Philippines
reduced collections- related complaints by 50
percent.
National Science Teachers Association:
The NSTA, which supports 2.1 million U.S. science
teachers, takes a highly methodological,
systems-based approach to professional development.
A board of directors, a council, a representative
congress and a corporate advisory board evaluate
budgets and initiatives in accordance with the
association’s five-year strategic plan. The mission
of the association’s Learning Center is to support
the professional development requirements of K-12
science teachers, which vary state by state, with
highly cost-efficient and effective online content
and other resources.
VENDOR INNOVATION
Judge: Chris Howard
“This was a very tough category to judge because we
had many excellent applications,” says Howard. “All
companies recognized had solutions that had a strong
element of innovation – some through use of
technology, others by creating new processes or
through unique customizations. All winners also
brought to us very compelling examples of business
impact.”
Sonic Foundry (tools):
Mediasite is a Webcast presentation tool that
provides a very rich viewing experience.Mediasite
can capture video, slides and audio. The company has
patented the technology used to capture and
automatically index and synchronize what the
presenter says (both audio and video) with visual
aids (RGBbased presentation content).Mediasite
automatically creates searchable online content
catalogs that index and organize presentations,
making it a valuable component of a rapid e-learning
solution.
Mohive (tools):
The e-Learning Publishing System is aWeb-based
authoring tool with features that support
collaborative content development and actual
workflow. Customers can rapidly create courses
around product launches, compliance and process
enhancements. Site licenses eliminate the need for
multiple desktop licenses and further encourage
enterprisewide collaboration. Content is XML-based,
so it can be integrated with leading LMSs.
Regis Learning Solutions (tools):
SimPort simplifies the creation of interactive,
complex simulations. The tool reduces costs and
development time and gives customers the ability to
maintain and modify simulations on their own.
Simulations are SCORM-compliant for LMS integration.
This is a tool that makes it much more practical and
efficient to include simulations in learning.
Kognito (platform):
This smart platform creates realistic scenarios for
development of interpersonal skills through the use
of virtual characters. Kognito goes beyond the
typical branching storyline approach to simulations
and instead utilizes a complex rules engine and
behavior feedback mechanism. Learners can employ
multiple strategies and tactics to accomplish
objectives and receive detailed feedback upon
conclusion.
Plateau (platform):
iContent addresses many of themost problematic
challenges related to contentmanagement. The
iContent portal enables organizations to find,
preview and buy titles fromtop content providers.
Organizational content assets are securely stored
andmanaged in a single repository. Plateau’s
offering includes services for testing and updating
content,managingmultiple providers and content
integration. Per-transaction pricingmodels give
customers the ability to predict and control costs.
SkillSoft (platform):
KnowledgeCenters give companies a way to immediately
implement on-demand learning through
easy-to-navigate learning portals. Each
KnowledgeCenter includes a variety of resources
(articles, courses, books, simulations, etc.)
selected by a SkillSoft SME and updated monthly.
Learning roadmaps guide learners with different
skill levels. KnowledgeCenters cover topics such as
Six Sigma,Microsoft Office, leadership and C#.
Vangent (business process):
This company created a rigorous new teller training
program for Bank of America to increase
standardization and impact quality assurance. Based
on a Level 4 performance analysis, the program
includes e-learning, coaching, job aids and job
shadowing. New tellers also have an opportunity to
practice key skills before using on the job. The
results are impressive. Error reductions and
improved accuracy in end-ofday balances is
anticipated to save the company more than $15
million.
Ninth House (business process):
Ninth House offers customized blended programs for
leadership development that are both scalable and
engaging. The programs combine high-quality online
courses; classroom work sessions and materials;
InstantAdvice, a performance support system; and
evaluations and metrics. The company use of blended
solutions provide a comprehensive learning
experience rather than a one-time learning event.
PulseLearning (business process):
This Learning Leader created two rapid content
development processes designed to reduce the
time-to-market and development for technical
training and minimize the time required of SMEs. By
addressing these challenges within the context of
the courseware development lifecycle, PulseLearning
brought significant improvements to its client,
software giant CA, Inc. Development productivity
increased by 52 percent, timeto- market was cut by
half, and SME involvement was dramatically reduced.
Bluepoint Leadership Development (business process):
The Leadership Experience workshop addresses the
skills required to shift from mid-level to
enterpriselevel leadership. The workshop focuses on
topics such as influence, change management,
organizational design and coaching. But the real
innovation comes through in the customized approach
in adapting materials to clients’ cultures,
organizational structures, business challenges and
goals. The company frequently links its program to
other third-party programs for comprehensive
solutions.
